Transferring granular material from rail trucks or the like to road transports or the like



Sept. 21, 1965 H. N. BOURNE 3,207,335

TRANSFERRING GRANULAR MATERIAL FROM RAIL TRUCKS OR THE LIKE TO ROAD TRANSPORTS OR THE LIKE Filed 001:. 4, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m J; 8 l J Sept. 21, 1965 H. N. BOURNE 3,207,335

TRANSFERRING GRANULAR MATERIAL FROM RAIL TRUCKS OR THE LIKE TO ROAD TRANSPORTS OR THE LIKE Filed Oct. 4, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,207,335 TRANSFERRING GRAN ULAR MATERIAL FROM RAIL TRUCKS OR THE LIKE TO ROAD TRANS- PORTS OR THE LIKE Howard N. Bourne, Pine Point, South Australia, Australia Filed Oct. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 313,945 2 Claims. (Cl. 21444) This invention relates to apparatus usable in the transferring of granular material from one container to another, for example from railway trucks or the like to road transports or the like, and is particularly useful for the bulk handling of superphosphate, grain and other similar substances.

When conveying bulk material such as superphosphate in railway trucks or the like, a problem exists in being able to quickly and effectively unload the material from the trucks.

It is customary for unloading to take place mechanically by power shovels, or by hand.

It is the object of this invention to provide apparatus which can be used for quickly and effectively discharging grain from a container, such as for example a rail truck, so that the grain can then be transferred to another container, for example, a road truck.

The invention achieves its objects by means of apparatus which includes a support frame, an outwardly extending arm pivoted about a vertical axis to the support frame, and a drag elevator pivoted about a vertical axis to the outwardly extending arm.

An embodiment of the invention is described hereunder with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the invention in its simplest form,

FIG. 2 is also a plan view showing schematically the embodiment which is described hereunder, and

FIG. 3 is a partly sectioned elevational view of the apparatus shown schematically in FIG. 2.

The embodiment described herein refers to portable apparatus, and a main frame 1 is provided with transport wheels 2 which are mounted on arms 3 which in turn are spring loaded in such a manner that when the device is in its unloaded state, the wheels will take the weight and will allow it to be moved from place to place, but means (not shown) are provided which will allow a change in the tension of the springs (not shown) to ensure that the frame 1 will be in direct contact with the ground when loading without spring action coming into effect, such means comprising levers which move from a position where the springs are fully extended to cause the road wheels 2 to act as the carrying means for the unit, to an over balancing position where they will allow the springs to be unloaded or only lightly loaded to ensure that the main frame sits on the ground and is there fore firmly planted for operation of the mechanism.

Supported on the frame 1 is a bin 5 which has a relatively large open top and slopes down to a lower channel 6 in which is disposed a bin discharge elevator 7, the elevator 7 extending from the bin with an upwardly inclined portion 8 and terminating at a suflicient height above the bin 5 to allow materials fed into the bin 5 to be discharged into a storage bin or any other locality, or into a conveyance which will transfer the granular material to the sits where it will be used or to other storage means.

Means (not shown) are provided to drive the elevator 7, which means comprise a connection from the elevator to the power take off of a tractor or the like by means of which the device can be normally towed. A separate engine may however, be used to drive this elevator.

Patented Sept. 21, 1965 Mounted on the bin 5 at one side, and forming part of the frame 1, is a vertical stem 9 which rotationally supports a sleeve 12, the sleeve 12 being suspended from the top of the stem 9 by the cable 13 which engages the winch 14 on the sleeve 12. By operating the winch 14 the sleeve 12 may be raised or lowered to control the height of the drag conveyor 16.

A telescopic arm 17 projects outwardly from the rotatable sleeve 12, the arm 17 comprising a pair of tubular members 18 disposed side by side and constituting a track for a wheeled carriage 20 which is secured to the telescopic portion 21 of the telescopic arm 17.

Sealed bearings are used at this locality so that movement of the wheeled carriage 20 will not be effected by friction caused through the ingress of superphosphate or the like to its bearings.

The telescopic arm 17 is of a length suflicient to allow its free end 24 to project over the side of the bin 5 opposite the bin elevator 7, and supported on this free end 24 is a yoke 25 which is carried in bearings 26 to be freely revolvable about a vertical axis on the arm 17, the yoke 25 in turn carrying a horizontal pivoting axle 28 for the drag conveyor 16 which is balanced on this yoke 25 and which comprises a chain 29 having slats 30 thereon arranged to collect material at its one end and deliver it to its other end into the bin 5.

To allow this conveyor 16 to project substantially on one side of the yoke 25, the end 32 of the elevator 16 has the geared motor 33 therefor mounted on it, the weight of the geared motor 33 then giving an assembly which allows the conveyor 16 to project substantially on one side of the yoke 25, at which side the elevator 16 is provided with a hand grip 35 to allow an operator to manipulate it, the purpose of this conveyor 16 being to collect the material from a truck 36 (or the like) and to discharge it into the bin 5.

As the conveyor 16 itself is mounted on a yoke, it can be swung completely around to any convenient operating position, and of course the horizontal pivot allows the collector or feed end 37 of the conveyor 16 to be raised and lowered so that it can be placed on to a load of superphosphate or grain and it can collect this and transfer it to the bin 5, the feed end simply moving down as the load is discharged.

As the yoke is mounted on an arm which itself is mounted on a vetrical pivot, the yoke can swing through a wide arc over the top of the bin, and as the arm 17 itself is extensible, the radius of this arc can itself be greatly varied, this universal motion allowing the conveyor to be brought to any position where it is needed to discharge to content of the railway truck or the like.

The bin 5 has a mouth of sufficient size to take the discharge from this conveyor for any one of a number of positions in which the conveyor is placed, and the hinged flap 40 makes the arrangement flexible. It will be realised that a highly improved form of device is provided which can simply be driven along-side of a railway truck or the like and can then be lowered to the ground by reducing the tension on the springs of its road wheels, after which the drag conveyor is moved out over the load in the truck and is operated to discharge the load from the truck into the bin.

As the load discharges into the bin, it is transferred by the second fixed conveyor to a conveyance such as a transport containing bin or the like, unloading of a trucfl in this way being greatly facilitated.

In the most simple form of the invention shown in FIGURE 1, the arm 17 is pivotally secured at one end to the frame 1' and at the other end is pivotally secured to the drag conveyor 16' in bearings 26. Obviously, the

3 purpose of the conveyor is to remove the material from the truck 36' (or the like) to a bin not shown.

It will of course be obvious that by appropriately arranging the mechanism, the bin of the device itself could be used to transport the unloaded material to a new site before it is elevated from the bin to its final storage position or where it is to be used.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for transferring grain from trucks and the like, comprising a support frame, a bin on the support frame adapted to be positioned adjacent the tray of a truck below floor level thereof, means to discharge the content of the bin, a stern projecting upwardly from the frame, arm supporting means on the stem movable up and down on the stem, an arm projecting outwardly from the arm supporting means, a carriage mounted on and movable longitudinally of said arm, a yoke on the said carriage rotatable about a vertical axis, an outwardly extending drag conveyor on the yoke rotatable about a horizontal axis on the yoke and having its lower run exposed along its length for engagement with the material to be unloaded, a driving motor disposed on one end of the drag conveyor to counter balance the weight of the drag conveyor, and a handle on the projecting end of the drag conveyor for manual positioning of the said conveyor.

2. Apparatus for transferring grain from trucks and the like, comprising a support frame, a bin on the support frame adapted to be positioned adjacent the tray of a truck below floor level thereof, a bin discharge elevator in the bin, a vvertical stem on the frame, a sleeve rotatable and vertically slidable on the vertical stem, height adjustment means on the sleeve, a telescopic arm projecting outwardly from the sleeve, a carriage mounted on and movable longitudinally of said arm; a yoke on the said carriage rotatable about a vertical axis, an outwardly projecting drag conveyor on the yoke rotatable about a horizontal axis on the yoke and having its lower run exposed along its length for engagement with the material to be unloaded, a geared drive motor disposed on one end of the drag conveyor to counter balance the weight of the drag conveyor, and handle on the other end of the drag conveyor for manual positioning of the said conveyor.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,245,948 ll/ 17 Murray. 1,521,290 12/24 Hague. 2,401,465 6/46 Cwicig 198118 X 2,410,996 11/46 Patterson 214521 2,788,904 4/57 Erickson.

FOREIGN PATENTS 151,875 6/53 Australia.

372,446 3/23 Germany.

65 8,95 3 10/51 Great Britain.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING GRAIN FROM TRUCKS AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING A SUPPORT FRAME, A BIN ON THE SUPPORT FRAME ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED ADJACENT THE TRAY OF A TRUCK BELOW FLOOR LEVEL THEREOF, MEANS TO DISCHARGE THE CONTENT OF THE BIN, A STEM PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM THE FRAME, ARM SUPPORTING MEANS ON THE STEM MOVABLE UP AND DOWN ON THE STEM, AN ARM PROJECTING OUTWARDLY FROM THE ARM SUPPORTING MEANS, A CARRIAGE MOUNTED ON AND MOVABLE LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID ARM, A YOKE ON THE SAID CARRIAGE ROTATABLE ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS, AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING DRAG CONVEYOR ON THE YOKE ROTATABLE ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS ON THE YOKE AND HAVING ITS LOWER RUN EXPOSED ALONG ITS LENGTH FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE MATERIAL TO BE UNLOADED, A DRIVING MOTOR DISPOSED ON ONE END OF THE DRAG CONVEYOR TO COUNTER BALANCE THE WEIGHT OF THE DRAG CONVEYOR, AND A HANDLE ON THE PROJECTING END OF THE DRAG CONVEYOR FOR MANUAL POSITIONING OF THE SAID CONVEYOR. 